CN102811532A - An electronic device that simulates a flame - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides an electronic device simulating ignition flame, which is suitable for lighting another electronic device simulating ignition flame. The electronic device includes a light emitting assembly, an optical sensor adjacent to the light emitting assembly, and a processor coupled to the light emitting assembly and the optical sensor. The optical sensor changes the lighting state of the light emitting component in response to an instruction transmitted by a predetermined encoded light signal. And the light-emitting component generates a preset coded light signal while emitting light, and the preset coded light signal is used for transmitting an instruction to another electronic lighting device simulating ignition flame in a short distance.

Description

An electronic device that simulates a flame

technical field

The invention relates to an electronic device for simulating ignition of a flame. Specifically, the present invention relates to a device for simulating the effect of lighting a flame when the light emitting device is activated by using electronic technology.

Background technique

Devices are known for electronically simulating the flickering effect of a flame, however there remains a need to improve these electronic devices for simulating a flame and providing the effect of simulating the ignition of a flame.

Contents of the invention

The invention provides an electronic device for simulating ignition flame, which is suitable for lighting another electronic device for simulating ignition flame.

One aspect of the present invention provides an electronic device for simulating lighting a flame, the electronic device comprising a lighting assembly, an optical sensor adjacent to the lighting assembly, and a processor connected to the lighting assembly and the optical sensor. The optical sensor changes the light-emitting state of the light-emitting component in response to an instruction transmitted by a predetermined coded light signal. Moreover, when the light-emitting component emits light, it generates a predetermined coded light signal, which is used for short-distance transmission of instructions to another electronic lighting device that simulates lighting a flame.

Preferably, the optical signal is modulated by dual-frequency frequency shift keying. The processor loads the carrier of the first frequency and the carrier of the second frequency on the power supply of the light-emitting component, wherein the carrier of the first frequency and the carrier of the second frequency form a predetermined identification code, so as to set the corresponding Another electronic lighting device that simulates lighting a flame on the identification code. Preferably, the second frequency is 1.5 times or more than the first frequency.

Preferably, the light source is a light emitting diode, wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are within the range of 1 kHz to 100 kHz.

Preferably, the optical signal is modulated in a binary on-off keying manner, wherein the modulation frequency is below 50 Hz.

Preferably, the light-emitting component is used to flicker to simulate the light and shade of a real flame, and at the same time transmit the light signal.

Preferably, the light emitting component may be a light bulb or a light emitting diode.

Preferably, the spectrum of the light-emitting component and the response spectrum of the optical sensor at least partially overlap.

Preferably, the light emitting component and the optical sensor are the same light emitting diode.

Preferably, the processor does not respond to the signal of the optical sensor when the light emitting component emits a light signal.

Preferably, the instruction is to turn on the light-emitting component or set the light-emitting component to exhibit different blinking modes.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a controller for controlling a lighting device, including: changing the light-emitting state of the light-emitting component of the lighting device in response to an instruction transmitted by a predetermined coded light signal received by the optical sensor of the lighting device A device; a device that controls the light-emitting component to generate a predetermined coded light signal while emitting light, and the light signal is used to transmit instructions to another electronic lighting device that simulates lighting a flame at a short distance.

Preferably, the optical signal is modulated by dual-frequency frequency shift keying. The controller loads the carrier of the first frequency and the carrier of the second frequency on the power supply of the light-emitting component, wherein the carrier of the first frequency and the carrier of the second frequency form a predetermined identification code to set the corresponding Another electronic lighting device that simulates lighting a flame on the identification code. Preferably, the second frequency is 1.5 times or more than the first frequency.

Preferably, the light source is a light emitting diode, wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are within the range of 1 kHz to 100 kHz.

Preferably, the optical signal is modulated in a binary on-off keying manner, wherein the modulation frequency is below 50 Hz.

Preferably, the light-emitting component is used to flicker to simulate the light and shade of a real flame, and transmit the light signal at the same time.

Preferably, the light-emitting component may be a light bulb or a light-emitting diode.

Preferably, the spectrum of the light-emitting component and the response spectrum of the optical sensor at least partially overlap.

Preferably, the light emitting component and the optical sensor are the same light emitting diode.

Preferably, the processor does not respond to the signal of the optical sensor when the light emitting component emits a light signal.

Preferably, the instruction is to turn on the light-emitting component or set the light-emitting component to exhibit different blinking modes.

Features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following description and drawings and in the appended description of technical features.

Description of drawings

Figure 1A is a cross-sectional view of an electronic torch according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of an electronic candle according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1C and FIG. 1D are schematic diagrams of lighting an electronic torch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a flowchart of a processor according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of an electronic candle using light emitting diodes according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a waveform of a driving voltage of an LED according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a circuit diagram of an electronic candle according to an embodiment of the present invention using an incandescent bulb.

FIG. 6 is a waveform of a driving voltage for a hot bulb according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. The scope of the present invention is determined by the appended claims rather than by the following detailed description. All embodiments that come within the intent and range of equivalent features of the claims are therefore to be embraced by the claims.

Figure 1A shows a cross-sectional view of an electronic torch according to one embodiment of the present invention. Wherein, the electronic torch 100 includes a torch-shaped casing 101 made of opaque materials. A battery compartment 104 is provided within the housing for storing batteries (not shown). The upper part of the housing is provided with a light emitting component 102, which emits light when turned on, so as to provide illumination or decoration. An optical sensor 103 is arranged beside the light-emitting component 102, and an upper cover 106 or a lampshade (not shown) is arranged on it. Most of the upper cover 106 is made of opaque material to cover the internal structure of the electronic torch. The part of the upper cover 106 directly above the optical sensor 103 is made of a transparent or translucent material, and external ambient light can reach the optical sensor 103 through the transparent or translucent part. In another embodiment, the shade provides physical protection and may have the shape of a flame.

The light-emitting component 102 and the optical sensor 103 are connected to the electronic module 105 housed in the housing 101. The electronic module 105 is provided with a processor (not shown) to provide driving voltage/current to the light-emitting component 102 and process signals from the optical sensor 103. .

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of an electronic candle according to one embodiment of the present invention. Wherein, the electronic candle 110 includes a candle-shaped shell 111 made of opaque materials. A battery compartment 114 is provided within the housing for storing batteries (not shown). A light-emitting diode 112 is arranged on the upper part of the casing, which emits light in a forward voltage bias state to provide lighting or decoration. The light emitting diode 112 is also used as an optical sensor, on which a cover 116 or lampshade (not shown) is provided. Most of the upper cover 116 is made of opaque material to cover the internal structure of the electronic torch. In another embodiment, the lampshade provides physical protection, may have the shape of a flame, and is made of transparent or translucent materials, and external ambient light can reach the LEDs 112 through the transparent or translucent lampshade.

The light-emitting diode 112 is connected to the electronic module 115 accommodated in the housing 111. The electronic module 115 is provided with a processor (not shown) to provide a driving voltage/current to the light-emitting diode 112 and process the light generated by the light-emitting diode 112 in response to ambient light. signal of.

FIG. 1C and FIG. 1D are schematic diagrams of lighting an electronic torch according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1C , the turned-on electronic torch 100 emits visible light through the light emitting component 102 . At the same time, the light-emitting component 102 flashes to send out a predetermined optical signal 130 . When the upper part of the electronic torch 100 is close to the upper part of another electronic torch 120 to simulate the action of igniting the torch, the light emitting assembly 102 transmits a predetermined optical signal of sufficient intensity to the optical sensor 123 of the other electronic torch 120 at close range superior.

As shown in FIG. 1D , after confirming that the correct optical signal is read, the other electronic torch 120 turns on the light-emitting component 122 on it to complete the process of simulating ignition. Using the optical signal to start the electronic torch can prevent the electronic torch from being wrongly lit due to the influence of ambient light.

Fig. 2 shows a processor flow chart according to one embodiment of the present invention, including the following steps: in step S201, the process starts, and the electronic torch is in an extinguished state; in step S202, it is judged whether a trigger signal is received from, for example, a switch component; if The judgment result of step S202 is affirmative, that is, the processor receives the trigger signal, and the process enters step S204; otherwise, the process enters step S203;

In step S203, it is judged whether the optical sensor has received the optical signal that correctly represents the ignition of the electronic torch; if the judgment result of step S203 is affirmative, that is, the optical sensor has received the optical signal that represents the ignition of the electronic torch, the process enters step S204; otherwise, the process returns Step S202;

In step S204, the light-emitting component 102 on the electronic torch is turned on to make the electronic torch emit light; in step S204, the processor transmits a driving voltage/current to the light-emitting component 102, so that it transmits an optical signal representing, for example, lighting the electronic torch;

In step S203, it is judged whether the sound sensor has received the sound from the blowing action; if the judgment result of step S203 is affirmative, that is, the sound sensor has received the sound from the blowing action, the process returns to step S201; otherwise, the process returns to step S204.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting component is a light emitting diode. As shown in FIG. 3 , an electronic candle system 300 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a light emitting diode 301 and a processor 310, the processor outputs a signal and amplifies it through an amplifying circuit including triodes 302, 303, thereby driving the light emitting diode 301 emits light or emits a light signal. In one embodiment, the light emitting diode 301 is simultaneously used as an optical sensor to respond to the intensity of the external light source and output a signal to the amplification circuit including the triode 302, and the amplified sensor signal is sent to the processor 310. In one embodiment, for To avoid being interfered by the signal output by the light emitting diode 301, when the light emitting diode 301 sends out a light signal, the processor 310 outputs a voltage to turn on the transistor 305, and the collector of the transistor 302 is therefore always at a low potential end, preventing the signal from the light emitting diode 301 from entering processor 310 .

In one embodiment of the present invention, when the electronic candle is set to be lit, the light emitting diode 301 transmits a light signal at the same time, the frequency of which is higher than the frequency that can be detected by the naked eye, so that it will not cause flicker when used for lighting purposes And bring trouble to the user. As a representative example, the carrier frequency of the optical signal is between 1 kHz and 100 kHz.

In another embodiment of the present invention, when the electronic candle is set to be on, the light emitting diode 301 flickers at a low frequency, simulating the shaking of a real candle. Said flicker can be partly or completely made up of the optical signal intended to be transmitted, which is visible to the naked eye. As a representative example, the optical signal carrier frequency is 50 Hz or less.

In FIG. 4, a representative LED driving voltage waveform is shown. As shown in the figure, V0 is the low-potential terminal voltage; V2 is the high-potential terminal voltage, which makes the light-emitting diode in a forward voltage bias and emits bright light; V1 is located between V0 and V2, which is the lowest voltage value of the waveform. Make the LED in forward voltage bias and emit a weak light that is dimmer than V2. In the process of transmitting the optical signal, the start code 401 is first sent, which is composed of a square wave with frequency _f2 . After the start code is the identification code 402, which is composed of one or more bits and adopts the frequency shift keying modulation method, and uses the combination of double-frequency (f ₁ , f ₂ ) square waves to represent '0' and ' in binary 1'. The identification code corresponds to a specific electronic candle, and only electronic candles that meet the predetermined identification code will respond to the following instruction codes. In another embodiment of the present invention, the carrier waveform may be a sine wave or a sawtooth wave.

The command code 403 is located after the start code, and also has one or more bits and is modulated by dual frequency (f ₁ , f ₂ ) frequency shift keying. Each instruction code can activate the target electronic candle to make corresponding actions, for example, light the target electronic candle, or set the electronic candle to present different flickering modes.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the flickering of the light signal is designed to be similar to the light and dark caused by the shaking of the flame. In general, the light and dark patterns of real flames have irregular, microsecond-based periods. As a representative example, the light signal is modulated in the form of binary on-off keying OOK (on-off keying), so as to prolong the time that the light-emitting diode continues to display light and dim, and further simulate the effect of candle fire.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the light-emitting component is an incandescent bulb, such as a tungsten filament bulb. Since the response time of the bulb, that is, the reaction speed to the input signal is much lower than that of the light-emitting diode, in the embodiment using the bulb, the response time of the incandescent lamp must be taken into account when setting the signal frequency, so that the light signal can be sent out clearly . In an exemplary embodiment, the optical signal has a carrier frequency of 50 Hz or less.

Figure 5 shows an embodiment of an electronic candle system using an incandescent bulb as the lighting component. The electronic candle system 500 includes: a hot bulb 501 , a processor 502 , and an optical sensor 504 . When the electronic candle system 500 is set to a bright state, for example, the switch button 505 is pressed or activated by another electronic candle (not shown) to light up, the processor 502 sends a signal to drive the bulb 501, and the signal can be Boosted by an amplifying circuit including transistor 503 to ensure sufficient light bulb 501 .

Since the response time of an incandescent bulb is generally long, it is inevitable to use this type of bulb to transmit a light signal with a lower flicker frequency that can be detected by the naked eye. Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the flicker of the light signal is designed to be consistent with the The brightness and darkness caused by shaking are similar. As a representative example, the light signal is modulated in a binary on-off keying manner, thereby prolonging the time that the bulb continues to display light and dim, further simulating the effect of candle flames.

According to FIG. 5 , the light signal reception of the electronic candle system 500 is performed by an optical sensor 504 . The optical sensor outputs an electrical signal in response to external ambient light, which is enhanced by a linear amplifier and then enters the processor 502 .

In FIG. 6, a representative hot bulb driving voltage waveform is shown. As shown in the figure, V0 is the low-potential terminal voltage, V2 is the high-potential terminal voltage, and V1 is located between V0 and V2, which is the lowest voltage value of the waveform, which makes the incandescent bulb emit weak light that is darker than V2. The optical signal is modulated in a binary ON/OFF keying manner. In the on state 601, the processor outputs a driving voltage with a carrier frequency suitable for the response time of the bulb, and its waveform is a square wave between V0 and V2, driving the hot bulb to emit bright light. In an exemplary embodiment, the optical signal has a carrier frequency of 50 Hz or less. In the off state 602, the drive voltage is maintained at V1 to dim the glowing bulb. The optical signal includes an identification code 603, which consists of one or more bits and represents '0' and '1' in binary with the time ratio of the on state 601 and the off state 602. The identification code corresponds to a specific electronic candle, and only electronic candles that meet the predetermined identification code will respond to the following instruction codes.

The instruction code 604 is located after the start code, and also has one or more bits and is modulated in a binary ON/OFF keying manner. Each instruction code can activate the target electronic candle to make corresponding actions, for example, light the target electronic candle, or set the electronic candle to present different flickering modes.

The various embodiments described herein can also be combined to provide other embodiments.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to its embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention. For all of the above-described embodiments, the steps of the method need not be performed sequentially.

Claims (22)

1. An electronic device for simulating an ignition flame, suitable for lighting another electronic device for simulating an ignition flame, comprising: Lighting components; an optical sensor adjacent to the light emitting assembly; a processor connected to the lighting assembly and the optical sensor; It is characterized by: The processor changes the light-emitting state of the light-emitting component in response to the optical sensor receiving an instruction transmitted by a predetermined coded light signal; While emitting light, the light-emitting component generates a predetermined coded light signal, which is used for short-distance transmission of instructions to another electronic lighting device that simulates lighting a flame. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the optical signal is modulated by dual-frequency frequency shift keying, and the processor loads the carrier of the first frequency and the carrier of the second frequency to the light-emitting component The power supply of the power supply, wherein the carrier wave of the first frequency and the carrier wave of the second frequency form a predetermined identification code, so as to set another electronic lighting device that simulates lighting a flame corresponding to the identification code. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the second frequency is 1.5 times or more than the first frequency. 4. The electronic device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the light emitting component is a light emitting diode, wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are within a range of 1 kHz to 100 kHz. 5 . The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical signal is modulated in a binary on-off keying manner, wherein the modulation frequency is below 50 Hz. 6 . The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein the light-emitting component is used to flicker to simulate the light and shade of a real flame, and transmit the light signal at the same time. 7. The electronic device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the light-emitting component is selected from electronic components, including light bulbs and light-emitting diodes. 8 . The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the spectrum of the light-emitting component and the response spectrum of the optical sensor at least partially overlap. 9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the light emitting component and the optical sensor are the same light emitting diode. 10. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein when the light-emitting component emits a light signal, the processor does not respond to the signal of the optical sensor. 11. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction is to turn on the light-emitting component or set the light-emitting component to display different blinking modes. 12. A controller for controlling a lighting device, comprising: A device for changing the light-emitting state of the light-emitting component of the lighting device in response to the optical sensor of the lighting device receiving an instruction transmitted by a predetermined coded light signal; A device that controls the light-emitting component to generate a predetermined coded light signal while emitting light, and the light signal is used to transmit instructions to another electronic lighting device that simulates lighting a flame at a short distance. 13. The controller according to claim 12, wherein the optical signal is modulated by dual-frequency frequency shift keying, and the controller loads the carrier of the first frequency and the carrier of the second frequency on the The power supply of the light-emitting component, wherein the carrier wave of the first frequency and the carrier wave of the second frequency form a predetermined identification code, so as to set another electronic lighting device that simulates lighting a flame corresponding to the identification code. 14. The controller according to claim 13, wherein the second frequency is 1.5 times or more than the first frequency. 15. The controller according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode, wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are within the range of 1 kHz to 100 kHz. 16. The controller according to claim 12, wherein the optical signal is modulated in a binary on-off keying manner, wherein the modulation frequency is below 50 Hz. 17. The controller according to claim 16, wherein the light-emitting component is used to flicker to simulate the light and shade of a real flame, and transmit the light signal at the same time. 18. The controller according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the light-emitting components are selected from electronic components, including light bulbs and light-emitting diodes. 19. The controller according to claim 12, wherein the spectrum of the light-emitting component and the response spectrum of the optical sensor at least partially overlap. 20. The controller according to claim 19, wherein the light emitting component and the optical sensor are the same light emitting diode. 21. The controller according to claim 19, wherein when the light-emitting component emits a light signal, the controller does not respond to the signal of the optical sensor. 22. The controller according to claim 12, wherein the instruction is to turn on the light-emitting component or set the light-emitting component to present different blinking modes.

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